Monday 5th February 2018
Really fucking raw in Moorside. Spent the morning reading depressing essays about being stitched up by corporations; ordered three books from the library on same subject. Sorted out four weeks of workshop handouts, got the course folder in order for tomorrow’s recap. Stopped at nine to watch The X Files. Not great, but okay. Not sure I’ll stick with it. Email from Young God Records informs me that Michael Gira has a new self-published book / spoken cd combo out this month. If he has it on tour I might be tempted… 10.47 pm.
Tuesday 6th February 2018
Zero degrees when I got up. Heating on three hours. Only just warm enough to get shaved. Out early to Durham. Feedback on student work. Did the workshop. Don’t like sitting back while people write, but bombarding with more material not good either. I’ll do one more proper lesson next time then it’s a writing marathon on week seven. Saw Darkest Hour at the Empire this evening. Lots of people there. 11.33 pm.
Wednesday 7th February 2018
Where did today go? Tackled morning pages around five then slept a couple more hours. Checked emails then out on a big food mission. Bought some cardstock and popped into the library looking for a good crime novel but most of the ones that attracted my attention where set in the USA. I’ve been influenced by American authors all my adult life – Rollins, Bukowski, Auster, Gira, Lunch, Dobyns, Olds, Strand, King, etc – I wanted a UK thriller to put in my bag for next week, but not to be. Got a book on magic. Also a tome entitled The New Confessions of an Economic Hitman – which I’ve been waiting a few years now to check out. Had a chicken dinner then another food mission for Jenni before bus to Gateshead. Had a good time at Lit & Phil fundraiser from Red Squirrel Press this evening: Colin Will, Ellen Phethean, Tom Kelly; plus special guest Matthew Stewart, who flew in from Madrid. Back to Jen’s place for a while. Hot chocolate and online updates then bus home. 10.40 pm.
Thursday 8th February 2018
Struggling today. Checked job opportunities that turned out dud. Enjoyed looking at Andrew O’Neil’s book and videos. Heavy metal transvestite comedian/musician from steampunk band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing. Tonight I listened to a vintage set by The Cult, recorded in December 1985 on the Love tour, a month after I saw them at Newcastle City Hall. Saw them again same venue sixteen months later, but by then they were well into their AC/DC phase – bit of a disappointment. Found out there’s no merch on current Rollins UK dates. Michael Gira, however, has copies of new book ‘The Egg’ on his tour, but I reckon they’ll be gone before he reaches Newcastle… Sick as fuck and ready for bed. 11.05 pm.
Friday 9th February 2018
Better day. Avoided brain freeze by putting the central heating on from six till nine this morning; read some Kirsten Luckins poems from Dark Matter then looked at the monograph I made on National Poetry Day. Snow gave way to sunshine and Wayne Hussey Live at Carnegie DVD became my soundtrack for copy-ups. Then after tomato soup I sewed up the pages of standard version Anomalies 1989-2014. It’s currently 144 pages (plus colour photo inserts) and contains reproductions of my early poetry and prose magazine appearances alongside journal pieces and vignettes that have been resting in the hard drive. Lovely chunky hardback compendium. The dust jacket design is yet to be finalised. Jenni likes the photograph of a cracked floor tile I took a while back; I quite like the hand-drawn version of same image. Still unsure of book price. 152 pages hardback handmade to order on various paper stock… Probably £20. Was going to read all sorts of stuff this evening but fell asleep on the couch. Enjoyed watching BBC4 documentary Rock ‘n’Roll Guns For Hire: The Story of the Sideman. Narrated by and featuring guitarist Earl Slick. Great insight into the lives of understated musicians touring and recording with the likes of Otis Redding, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, Prince, etc. 11.34 pm.
Saturday 10th February 2018
Out to Consett for bank transactions and supplies plus books on politics reserved at the library. This afternoon I clothbound a prototype Anomalies standard book. Been researching various methods of adding title to the spine, all requiring very specialist equipment, but in the end it seems the old permanent marker and a steady hand is my best bet. Book still needs some page margins adjusting and the dust jacket design but well on the way. Productive day. Chuffed! 11.35 pm.
Sunday 11th February 2018
Usually wake up at Jen’s place for Lazy Sunday but at home this morning. Going to see her this afternoon. Good to shave and take a breather for a while, get this blog post finished. Listening to Michael Monroe and wishing I’d been old enough to see Hanoi Rocks first time round. I’m hitting that old wistful note again but still plenty tunes up ahead. Seems pointless to mention half-term holiday when I’ve been at home most of the time since last December anyway. Got a new private evening course starting later this month and will be advertising the Saturday course at Waddington Street that I used to do for New College Durham on Tuesday evenings. I’m looking forward to getting more book work sorted in the coming weeks and seeing some of my favourite performers onstage again. OK. 11.32 am.
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